Peter Obi unveils part 2 of “Roadmap to a new Nigeria”

Says: “Education and healthcare are the bedrock upon which every prosperous nation is built”

The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, on Thursday released Part 2 of his “Roadmap to a New Nigeria”, declaring that fixing education and healthcare is non-negotiable if Nigeria must become a productive and prosperous nation.

In a statement posted to his official handle, Obi said the two sectors remained “the foundation of a renewed Nigeria” and the surest path to give every Nigerian, “a son of nobody,” the opportunity “to become somebody.”

“Today, July 16th, in the middle of July, I wish to expand on these two critical pillars — education and healthcare — because they are the bedrock upon which every prosperous nation is built,” Obi stated.

“They are the cornerstones that will remove millions from the ranks of the disaffected who often become tools in the insecurity challenges confronting us.”

—Building on Part 1: From consumption to production—

Obi recalled that in Part 1 of the series released on July 1, titled “My Vision for a Productive and Prosperous Nigeria,” he laid out a broad framework for national renewal anchored on rebuilding human capital.

That framework, he said, included quality education, accessible healthcare, reforms in Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET, character and civic education, and deliberate investments to shift Nigeria “from a consumption-driven economy to a production-driven one.”

—Learning from nations that got it right—

Citing global evidence, Obi argued that the gap between thriving and lagging nations is most visible in education and health outcomes.

He referenced Princeton University Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton and his book, “The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality”, to buttress the point.

He also pointed to Singapore’s intentional alignment of education with national priorities, and China’s transformation under Deng Xiaoping’s emphasis on education from 1978 onward, as models Nigeria must study and adapt “Nothing could be further from the truth than the claim by some young people that ‘education is a scam,’” Obi said.

“Education, when combined with good health, provides the ladder for individual upward mobility and drives economic growth for the nation.”

—Key policy direction outlined—

Obi outlined how his administration would approach the two sectors:

Education

– Strengthen collaboration among federal, state, and local governments through dedicated commissions.
– Domicile primary education at the community and LGA levels with strong parental involvement.
– Design curricula that reflect local economic endowments and value chains.
– Support state governments with targeted grants and incentives to expand high-quality TVET and general secondary education.
– Develop schemes to enable universities to specialize in areas of teaching and research that make them globally competitive and responsive to future workforce demands.

Healthcare

While Part 2 focuses on the centrality of both pillars, Obi noted that detailed policy proposals on healthcare financing, primary health care revitalization, and health workforce development would follow in subsequent releases.

—“A new Nigeria is possible”—

Obi closed with a call for national resolve, saying that prioritising people over politics wasķl the only way to end poverty, insecurity, and mass disillusionment.

“A new Nigeria is possible.”